Tuesday, April 29, 2008

to clarify

my point in what i said about wspa, trafficking, and abortion - was in no way complete.

i understand and believe that abuse of animals is horrible - and its rampant. people who beat their children probably started on their dog - i can only assume that someone who neglects their dog and beats them would do the same or similar to a child. last year in new zealand it seemed like everytime you turned around the police had unearthed ANOTHER dog fibhting ring - those dogs were soooo mean, because they'd been horrifically abused to make them that way.
i owned a formerly-abused dog when i was a kid. she was the most skittish thing you ever saw - scared of ridiculous stuff, and we could only assume that she'd been abused, because there was no "training" it out of her.

my post was in no way pointed at wspa members. i think its the state of mind i'm after. for years i've heard my father say stuff like "forgot the whales, save the babies". it frustrates me that as a general rule (not a steadfast rule) people who are liberal in their politics tend toward both animal rights and women's rights (legal abortions).

when i repeated this to matt last night, he said, "Yeah, but Susie, to be honestly 99% of the world would have aborted Joshua." it's true - according to the hospital's statistics, but it still sucks.

because what i said was "a chimpanzee's life is worth more than my son's". and by that i mean - someone within wspa will fight for a chimp's life, but would (most likely) not be one to fight against legal abortions.

i've said it inadvertently before - but i believe ALL abortions are wrong. and i know there are scenarios that are harder to walk through ethically than others - like the broken bone genetic disease and tubal pregnancies - but I still hate abortion.

so when i see people fighting for the rights of a beaten dog in nepal - my thoughts go to the babies who are aborted in nepal - to the children sold into slavery by desperate parents who heard "we'll give your daughter a job" - to the little boys beaten by their fathers to make them into "men".

its a matter of perspective. but what i'm not saying is people who want animals rights or the protection of animals are evil, or haven't got their priorities straight, or shouldn't do what they're doing. i'm just saying that it doesn't seem 'fair'. when there's people being hurt/abused/trafficked that attention goes to animals. shouldn't it go to the children.

the ad i'm talking about has the commentator saying we don't think its even right to show you these pictures. but you never see ads about human trafficking...

8 comments:

  1. well said susie...well said

    on a lighter note, i had to laugh at your potty training story. i too am currently involved in the "adventure" of potty training :) last week, literally 10 secs after my daughter had been sitting on the potty for at least 5 min., she got up and ran into her her bedroom and peed on the floor. i had to laugh though, because then she ran back into the bathroom and grabbed a scrap of TP about the size of a quarter, and ran back into her room and was "scrubbing" the carpet trying to clean it up. goofy kid :)

    by the way, you look really pretty in your self portrait :)

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  2. sorry for the multiple posts, but this was too funny and i just have to share...just as i was finishing up my little potty training story, i hear the suspicious sounds of splashing water. sure enough as i went to check in the bathroom, my little stinker had and entire roll of TP in the toilet, and was swirling it around and splashing water everywhere!!! what are the odds :)

    well enough of the potty humor :)

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  3. Beautiful picture! The blue couch and blouse make your eyes sparkle! :)

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  4. Susie,

    I completely "get" where you are coming from here and agree 100%. I have felt this same way for so long now and it is sad to say but true, the animals (I am an animal lover) get more respect than the children do. I am so proud of you for not aborting Joshua and giving him a life full of love and the utmost care. Look how many lives have been changed through your decision and his life. I stand behind you girl and admire every single mother who chooses not to terminate, but allow God to glorify Himself in these babies lives. A beautiful sacrifice of love from yours and Matts hearts. I love you guys and pray daily for joy in your lifes.

    Love, Laurie in Ca.

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  5. I'm hoping that you will edit your post. Tubal pregnancy will be a long drawn out horribly painful death for the woman.
    No other options.
    You really would rather have a woman die rather than have a medical procedure that could give her hope at carrying another pregnancy to term?
    Really, you'd rather they die?
    To me, that is scary. I understand that your faith is very deep. But that seems a little harsh.

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  6. This is what I LOATHE about Sarah Mcgloughlan (the singer). She's all over the TV about ASPCA and support these "poor suffering animals" but she is VERY PRO-ABORTION. It angers me that she's so passionate about saving animals but not passionate about saving babies! I do think that animals need to be protected, but I think babies should be higher on that ladder than many times they are. You by no means took the easy road with keeping Joshua, but I'm sure, you, matt, and your family and friends are so happy that you took the road less traveled. I know I am. I hate seeing you all in pain loosing him, but he and your family has touched my life!

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  7. hey!
    Yah...Abortion is horrid...and it makes me steamed that people will abort a baby...I have had some miscarriages and would love to have a child of my own...so to hear that people are aborting their babies...it angers me!!! If the mom doesn't want the child...give them up...there are other people like me who would love to take them in and love them!!! SO I agree Susie!!! :)
    And you have a point...you see soooooo many ads for anti-animal abuse...and I looove animals it angers me that they are abused, but you are right...we need to shed light on human traficking ....this is horrible!!! But again, you are right...most people don't realize this is even going on...that young children are being abused like this...this is a reason I am going into child/adolescent counseling...
    Take the TX thing....sooo many young teens were pregnant or already mothers!!! UGH!!!!
    Children are precious....and this kinda stuff needs to stop!!!
    Have you thought about maybe contacting advocates, even ministries that work to promote attention on trafficking and maybe see if something can be done to get ads on the TV that promotes stopping this issue? Just a thought...

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  8. I hear you about people getting more fired up about the suffering of animals than people.

    My husband & I say the same thing all the time - why do people line up to protect homeless dogs & cats, but walk right past a homeless man, woman or child??

    Regardless of your politics, I can't figure out why people can't manage to care as much about one another as they do about, say, any other creature on this earth.

    Just my $.02. Thanks for shedding a little light on such a frustrating topic.

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